The drive back felt heavier than the morning air. Neither of them spoke. Katha kept her eyes on her hands the whole time, tracing the lines of her fingers just to keep her thoughts from spilling over. Agastya glanced at her every few seconds, worry tightening his jaw, but he said nothing.

When they finally reached home and stepped into their room, he closed the door behind them and guided her toward the bed. She sat down quietly, her palms resting on her thighs. Agastya sank to his knees in front of her, his hands coming up to hold her face as if grounding her back to him.